Tom Roche is the founder of Just Forest, a one-man volunteer environmental organization based at Ringfort Workshop, Raskovican, Co. Offaly.
Mr Roche’s campaign began this week when he delivered a message to the Tullamore Tractor Run last Thursday. Up to 600 tractors took part in the tractor run, which aims to raise funds for the Docious Officy Cancer Support Group. Last year’s run raised €50,000 in donations.
“As far as I’m concerned, those are public health issues,” Roche said. “The people behind them have good intentions. Don’t get me wrong, I respect them, but a lot of what they’re doing with the tractors is something that charities don’t have money to support. You’re making the disease you’re trying to collect even worse. So there’s a contradiction there.”
Mr Roche, who was born in Chapel Street, Tullamore, said he had focused on environmental issues for the past 30 years. He also worked for well-known Tullamore furniture maker and restorer Billy Dan before setting up his own business in the Tanyard, Tullamore from 1974 to his 1990.
He founded Just Forest in 1989. “Every dog in town knows now that climate change is the big challenge this time around,” he said. “Emissions from vehicles burning fossil fuels are a major contributor.”
Mr Roche said he would randomly choose a particular town in Ireland to visit with a message. “I’m 75 years old, so there’s only so much I can do. But I’m going to attend tractor drives in 2024 and walk around with placards and highlight this issue. I won’t give it to anyone, and I won’t give it to anyone. I won’t say anything about it either. I’ll just raise awareness about it.”
Roche said he does this about once a month. “They raise a lot of money for cancer treatment. But as I told them, emissions are causing cancer.”
A furniture maker by trade, he discovered that the Brazilian mahogany he was using had come from illegal logging in the Amazon. “I didn’t want to be part of it, but I wanted to continue using wood for a living. I introduced Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards in Ireland. All forests in Ireland are now FSC certified. I am receiving it,” he said.
Roche said this philosophy of environmental stewardship inspired his human rights ethos. After the bank collapse in 2008, public funding for his Just Forest project was cut off, forcing him to campaign on his own.
On Wednesday of this week, Mr Roche launched a number of educational resources that will be made available to all schools in Ireland free of charge. “One of the publications I’m launching in March is an alternative way to raise money for local communities, sports clubs and charities that doesn’t involve burning fossil fuels,” Roche added.